For private well owners
Fix your well water in the right order
Find out what your stains, smells or lab results mean, which problems actually need treatment, and which system fits your numbers. No guesswork, no upsell.
What are you seeing?
| Orange, rust or reddish-brown stains | Iron |
| Black or dark brown specks and stains | Manganese |
| Rotten-egg smell | Hydrogen sulfide |
| Blue-green stains, pinhole leaks in copper | Acidic water (low pH) |
| White crust, spots on glasses, scale | Hardness |
| Yellow or tea-colored water | Tannins |
| Sand, grit or cloudy water | Sediment |
| A positive bacteria test | Coliform or E. coli |
| Farm fields nearby, or a baby in the house | Check nitrate |
| No symptoms, never tested | Start with a lab test |
Several at once is common. Iron, manganese and sulfur often show up together, and acidic water often comes with soft water.
Have a lab report?
Enter the numbers and get the systems you need, in the order to install them. It flags health results first and tells you what doesn’t need treating.
No report yet? See how to test well water or find your state’s well program.
The order of treatment matters
Each piece of equipment protects the next one. Iron fouls softener resin, hardness and stains block UV light, and acidic water keeps iron filters from working. That’s why the order below is the same for almost every well.
Reverse osmosis for nitrate, arsenic or uranium goes under the kitchen sink, treating only drinking and cooking water.
Problems
All problems →What each stain, smell or lab result means, and the level that actually needs treatment.
- Iron in well waterOrange stains mean iron. What level needs treatment, how to test, and which filter fits your numbers, from doing nothing to chemical injection.
- Manganese in well waterBlack stains point to manganese. The cosmetic limit, the health levels for babies and adults, how to test, and which filter fits your result.
- Hydrogen sulfide in well waterA rotten-egg smell is hydrogen sulfide. Find the source first, then match the fix to your level, from a new water heater anode to chlorine injection.
- Hard well waterHard well water leaves scale and soap scum but is not a health risk. Hardness levels in gpg, when a softener pays off, and what to fix first.
- Acidic well waterLow pH well water eats copper pipes and can pull lead into your water. What pH needs treatment, how to test, and when calcite or soda ash fits.
- Bacteria in well waterA positive coliform test is common and often fixable. What total coliform and E. coli results mean, when to shock chlorinate, and when UV is worth it.
- Nitrate in well waterNitrate above 10 mg/L is unsafe for babies under six months. What your result means, why boiling makes it worse, and how reverse osmosis fits.
- Arsenic in well waterArsenic has no taste or smell, so test once. What 10 µg/L means, why arsenic III needs oxidizing first, and when an under-sink RO system is enough.
Systems
All systems →How each kind of well water system works, what it needs before it, and who should skip it.
- Whole house well water filterHow air-injection and oxidizing filters remove iron, manganese and sulfur from well water, what levels they handle, and what they need to install.
- Chemical injection systems for well waterWhen chlorine or peroxide injection beats an air-injection filter, what it needs downstream, how much upkeep it takes, and who should skip it.
- pH neutralizers for acidic well waterHow calcite neutralizers and soda ash feeders raise low well water pH, why they add hardness, where they go in the treatment order and when to skip one.
- UV systems for well waterHow UV disinfection works on a private well, the pretreatment it needs for iron, hardness and turbidity, lamp upkeep, and when to shock chlorinate instead.
- Sediment filters for well waterSpin-down, cartridge and backwashing sediment filters for wells: which micron rating to pick, where they go before UV and RO, and when it is a well problem.
- Tannin filters for well waterHow anion-resin tannin filters clear tea-colored well water, how to tell tannins from iron, what must be treated first, and the upkeep involved.
Testing
All testing →What to test for, how often, and how to read the report you get back.
- How to test well waterWhat to test your well for, how to pick a certified lab, and how to take bacteria, lead and raw-water samples so the results are worth acting on.
- Well water test kits comparedState-certified lab testing vs Tap Score mail-in tests vs SpringWell's well test kit, plus what DIY test strips can and can't tell you about your well.
- Reading a well water testA line-by-line guide to your well water lab report: units, detection limits, EPA health and aesthetic limits, and which results to act on first.
- Shock chlorinating a wellHow to shock chlorinate a private well following state health department steps: bleach amounts, safety, contact time, flushing away from septic, and retesting.
- How often to test well waterA private well testing schedule from CDC, EPA and state guidance: what to test yearly, every few years, at least once, and after floods or repairs.
Costs
All costs →Equipment, installation and yearly upkeep for each type of system.
Reviews
All reviews →Plain reviews of the systems we link to, including who they don’t fit.
Well water by state
All states →Each state page lists the health department’s private well program, any free or low-cost testing, and how many people rely on private wells there.
Common questions
What is the best filter system for well water?
There isn’t one best system, because each well has its own mix of problems. Test first, then match equipment to the results: an oxidizing filter for iron, manganese and sulfur smell, a softener for hardness, a neutralizer for low pH, UV for recurring bacteria, and reverse osmosis at the kitchen tap for nitrate or arsenic.
What order do well water filters go in?
Sediment filter first, then a pH neutralizer if the water is acidic, then the iron, manganese and sulfur filter, then the softener, then a tannin filter if needed, and UV last. Reverse osmosis for drinking water goes under the kitchen sink.
How often should I test my well water?
Test for bacteria and nitrate at least once a year, and after flooding, well repairs or a change in taste, color or smell. Test a full panel (iron, manganese, hardness, pH and local contaminants such as arsenic) before buying treatment equipment.
Is well water regulated by the EPA?
No. EPA drinking water rules cover public water systems, not private wells. Private well owners are responsible for testing and treating their own water, and most state health departments list certified labs.